Scientific American: Food Shortage Behind 2010 Bear Attack Increase

Scientific American writer John Platt says 2010’s record number of human-bear conflicts — and resulting bear deaths — can be traced directly to the loss of two key ingredients in grizzly bear diets: cutthroat trout and whitebark pine tree.
“This was the second-highest number of grizzly deaths since the species was listed in 1975 as ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act. The record high was in 2008 when an estimated 79 bears were killed or removed.”